Why Cats Land on Their Feet

Cats often land feet-first after a fall. How do they reorient so fast

without pushing off anything in midair? This is called the righting reflex, a built-in sequence

that starts with sensing which way is down. The vestibular system in the inner

ear detects rotation and tilt almost instantly. Cats usually rotate the head first.

Once the head is oriented, the body follows. Their flexible spine lets the front

half and back half rotate differently for a moment. Here is the physics:

they can reorient while conserving angular momentum by changing body shape as they twist.

The legs help control the rotation, tucking some in, extending others, so the turns